Week 3 Assignment, Part 3
Draft Action Research Project Progress Report
Title:
How can we most successfully balance
and utilize negative/positive consequences such as I.S.S., detention, school
initiatives and student incentive programs to successfully redirect
student behavior and increase student achievement, while supporting teachers
to positively change the culture and climate of our school?
Needs Assessment:
My
campus has a severe culture of disorganization from the administration and
mandates made with no input gathered from parents or faculty and staff. This
has also trickled down to students who have no consequence for being late to
class or turning in assignments very late on a regular basis, because
deterrents that are involved in our 5 step Tardy policy are not enforced at all
by our campus leaders and we have no academic contract that students are held
to. This has made it very difficult for my action plan to be successfully implanted
as administration has taken several initiatives from the past principal to use
them as their own in which none of them have been effective.
Therefore there has been no culture created among students of self
management of learning, school pride, intrinsic value on exemplary work and
behavior created on our campus other than that created by individual teachers
in their individual classrooms. As a result our campus now has the lowest
school culture, environment, and school climate in the district even though we
are exemplary. This is very discouraging as we have never been the lowest in
any category in my now 4 year tenure as an instructor on this campus. With all
that being said, I have had many discussion with the few CILT team members that
are no afraid to speak about those things that need to change (as many of them
have relayed to me that they are afraid to speak up in CILT meetings with the campus
administrators for fear of retaliation). As a result of lack of teacher support
and this leading to low morale and fear, many teachers have seen failures in
numbers that have never before been seen in our campus’s history in the many
Master teachers classes on our campus. Therefore I have been in the process of
making addendums to my Action Research Plan not only to add discipline and
consequences to students to keep their mind towards exemplary achievement, but
over the pass semester I see a strong need for initiatives that involve more
teach input/collaboration, motivate and inspire students to lead and be
excellent self managers of their learning, and consensus, input and involvement
from parents (where parents have been complaining about no communication or
value of their input from the administration) so that their partnership in
campus improvement is valued.
Objectives and Vision
of the Action Research Project:
My vision for my campus if to create a plan that incorporates a short
tern and long term balance of negative and positive consequences that are
implemented and supported school wide that supports student management
/achievement and cultivating of teacher talent, development and growth to
foster a successful, healthy, and safe learning/working environment for all
stakeholders. It is my sincere desire
for us to come together as a campus and have our input be valued by the current
administrators who so far, have only submitted mandates and not collaborated
teachers to gain any consensus whatsoever and do not communicate with parents regularly
about school programs or changes in school programs. My vision involves parents
and teachers being involved in talks with more open administrators about
improving the campus regarding student behavior, constant tardiness, and other
ways we can positively and constructively work on these issues together rather
than having teachers and parents feel that they are on the outside looking in
whereas the administrators have the first and final say with very little
concern or consideration of other stakeholder input. Several teachers and
parents put up with a great deal of unsatisfactory results and behavior and it
can be the case where there are some parents or teachers who may over react to
situations that can be handled on a lower level without the involvement of
administration. However, on a campus that is Exemplary, whose specific goal is
to prepare students to be ready to enter and graduate from college as well as
think in an entrepreneurial fashion working towards career readiness, we must
all be on the same page regarding a behavior and achievement improvement plan
such that parties working in most direct fashion with students are supported.
Review of the
Literature and Action Research Strategy:
Boynton, C., Boyton, M. (2007). Educator’s
Guide to Assessing and Improving School
Discipline Programs. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Curwin, L., Mendler, A., Mendler, B. (2008). 3rd Edition Discipline with Dignity New Challenges, New Solutions. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Seider, S. (2012). Character Compass: How Powerful School Culture Can Point Students
Toward Success. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
The first two pieces of literature discuss ways in
which stakeholders in school can be proactive rather than reactive in regards to
preventing problems by aiding students in understanding on another’s
differences while developing a sense of responsibility for their own actions
such that they can work toward being better self managers. Interventions are
also included regarding how to deal with certain common problems among students
in particular but in dignified ways. The
authors provide several prevention and intervention tools. The last piece of
literature regarding school culture presents of several helpful lessons
learned from character education in regards to three case studies. Instead of
only presenting models for implementation, Character Compass places emphasis on the significance of committing to a vision and the importance of process as well as valuing/utilizing diversity.
These books would be excellent for use in a group study and would greatly
benefit our campus. They are great resources for those in leadership or in
future leadership who yearn to have all stakeholders involved in a healthy and
collaborative school climate that leaders to the successful cultivation of
teachers and students as well as overall campus wide achievement and success.
Articulate the Vision
The goal and vision of
my action research plan has been communicated to teachers, administrators, and
most importantly my site supervisor/mentor. I have received support from some
teachers, my department, Science Department head and other staff, am sad to say
very little if any from my administration as a result of behavior I have
described from our new administration
under the “needs assessment” category.However, being that faculty and
staff realize that the school climate, environment and culture is the lowest in
the district for the first time in our schools history under our new
administration (whereas we have never been the lowest in any category or
anywhere near this level), other stakeholders have been very supportive of my
work and project research. When presenting my project and plan, to the
supportive parties mentioned, I stressed teamwork, consensus, collaboration,
and support in regards to the involvement needed to reach the ultimate goal of
our campus. This presented via conversation with various departments via
surveys which allowed members of faculty and staff to openly and honestly
communicate and express their feelings about our situation without their
identity being revealed and associated with their personal feelings. This way
they were more willing to participate in this aspect of the research without
fear of retaliation which several teachers have already experienced from the
current administration this year.
Manage the Organization
When organizing the
implementation of my project, I originally met with my principal. However, as
exemplary and master teachers were graded down on spot observations, put on
professional growth plans for the first time in their careers, harassed by
administration, and told that none of us were super teachers, I began to
consult with my Science department head as my mentor, who is a formerly award
winning administrator, a current award winning educator, CILT member, and Chair
of the Site Base Decision Making Committee. In many instances our
administration has consulted with him in regards to what to do relating to many
situations involving parent communication, teacher meetings, scheduling, and
overall leadership of the school.
Although I, as well as other teachers have been inundated with many
tasks and duties that have overloaded teachers brought many teachers’ students
to an all time low, I have done my best with the support of my mentor to work
through my project and research activities towards completion such that as many
students, teachers and parents as possible can be positively effected.
Manage Operations
Through my coursework in
the educational leadership program of Lamar University, I have learned that our
decision to improve our campuses and make changes that lead to student
achievement must be data driven in conjunction with consensus and collaboration
in regards to all involved stakeholders. In collaborating with my colleagues
and mentor, the needs assessment showed that we clearly needed to do something
to in regards to severe in school climate and health culture as well as the
increase in tardiness and disciplinary issues that continue to arise with
students. I was had have been very open
to the suggestions from staff and faculty members in regards to input related
to my project such that all parties felt valued and were a part of improving
our campus while moving all students, faculty and staff towards the highest
levels of success. It was evident that for many parents, faculty and staff our
school climate was of great concern along with the pride associated with us
maintaining the Exemplary rating that we all worked so arduously to achieve.
Respond to Community Interest and Needs
All stakeholders
involved will surely benefit from the completion of this project and results disclosed
via the research described. The subject
of my current research has been a concern of many of my colleagues for quite some
time. I believe that the outcome will bring about a new positive climate once
again such that learning is promoted and all parties are responsible for
supporting the school’s vision while leading our campus towards reaching or
goals and objectives of aiding students in increasing their levels of
achievement while preparing them to be life-long learners who are college and
career ready. I have the sincerest hopes that our administration will change
and become open and accepting of suggestions, input, and ideas from other
stakeholders aside from themselves, without taking arbitrary and capricious
actions upon faculty and staff who are not happy with their leadership and
would like to see change. Currently, this seems unlikely and it looks soon to
be the case that our administrators may
be removed in regards to several violations such that the change may have to
occur under new leadership. Whether this is the case or not, I will continue to
take the lead as an instructor and future instructional leader and intervene or
prevent negative student behavior while inspiring and supporting them and my
colleagues with the strategies I have learned from my research, such that we
can place emphasis where it belongs…..on student success, while capitalizing on
a culture of exemplary education that we created for years as the faculty of
our campus. It is my sincerest desire to
see these difficulties come to an end such that the focus can be placed again
100% on the educating of students versus teachers being in fear of their instructional
leadership and parents not being valued and involved in the educational process
as it pertains to administrators working openly and regularly in collaboration
with all stakeholders, who offer many varied talents to move all groups and
subgroups of children to the highest levels of student achievement.
